What I Learned From The Zack Wheeler Injury

Photo Courtesy of NY Post

     It was ironic how on a sunny Monday morning, we were delivered news that was reminiscent of a rainy day. That news of course, was the diagnosis of a full tear of the UCL in Zack Wheeler's elbow. At this point it is a given that Wheeler will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2015 season. As much as it may seem ridiculous to try and put a positive twist on this situation, I will simply say that I learned a lot from that brief second flash of the notification on my phone a few days ago.
     In all honesty, I feel bad for Zack because if he were to repeat his second half over the course of the 2015 season, he would have had a good case for a major raise in the offseason. This does help the Mets, because now Zack's case won't be as strong for a big raise, and could potentially save the Mets millions of dollars in the long run. However, this still hurts the team because they were looking to make a run this season on the strength of our rotation headlined by Matt Harvey, Jacob Degrom and you guessed it, Zack Wheeler. I feel though, that with the loss of Zack Wheeler, the Mets will be able to show off their pitching depth.
     Like I said before, we have the rotational depth to make up for this blow that very few teams in the Major leagues have right now. Even with Dillon Gee stepping in for Wheeler, we still have a good rotation. While Dillon Gee may not be a pitcher who will light the word on fire, but he is still a solid back of the rotation starter who will limit walks, and according to baseball reference, Gee has averaged 6.2 innings pitched per start in his career. Sometimes, the options that aren't the sexiest are actually the ones that work the best.
     Another thing that I can say that I picked up from the Wheeler injury is how plans may seem like they are etched in stone, but in all reality, they change (and they change often). That thought was officially cemented when I saw Alex Cobb had forearm tightness, and I was scrambling for a backup plan for my second fantasy starter (it turned out to not be too serious, but still). Luckily for us, we had a solid plan B. in Dillon Gee. In fact, we have a really good plan C, plan D all the way through Z.
     Considering we have not only Noah Syndergaard waiting in the wings, but we also have another potential rotation anchor in Steven Matz, as well as Rafael Montero, who already has tasted big league action and even other near major league ready options like Cory Mazzoni. The point being is, there's a saying I once heard, and that saying is "when one door closes, another opens" or something like that. Either way, Syndergaard and possibly even Matz as well as all of the starters I mentioned could see that classic saying be to their benefit this season.
     Perhaps this unfortunate event will be the first step toward Montero getting a rotation look and never looking back, or Matz possibly making the Majors in June because the motivation of a spot being open led to him having a strong start to the season. Maybe Noah Syndergaard could see the rest of spring training as a chance to prove himself worthy to start the season with the team, but that seems doubtful.
     Overall, I can say that the Mets will show all of us that their pitching depth is even deeper than we all thought by not only having the pitchers to propel us past 2015, but even having the pitching to make us competitive this season. We'll see which pitcher steps up to take Zack Wheeler's place this year whether it be Dillon Gee or someone else. We certainly have quite a few players that can.